Low turn-out of MB on Friday 23rd August

Luxor has both Christian and Moslem communities and the politics of the Middle East are equally diverse. Air your views on the situation.

Moderators: DJKeefy, 4u Network

Post Reply
User avatar
Brian Yare
Royal V.I.P
Royal V.I.P
Posts: 2566
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:11 pm
Location: Worcester, UK
Has thanked: 720 times
Been thanked: 647 times
Gender:
Contact:
United Kingdom

Low turn-out of MB on Friday 23rd August

Post by Brian Yare »

Crackdown on Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood pays dividends

Arrest of Brotherhood leadership and police intimidation could explain reduced numbers at Friday's pro-Morsi protests, analysts say

Passant Darwish, Friday 23 Aug 2013
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is struggling to maintain its incessant protests that have kept security forces on their toes since a bloody crackdown on the group’s Cairo sit-ins last week left over 600 dead and thousands injured.

A low turnout on Friday suggests that the Brotherhood may find it difficult to heap more pressure on an army-backed government that is emboldened by the backing of many Egyptians as it seeks to end the resistance of the 85-year-old Islamist group.

What explains the smaller turnout at Friday's marches calling for Mohamed Morsi's reinstatement? Does the Muslim Brotherhood have a future? Ahram Online asks two experts.

Low turnout analysed

Political analyst and former MP Amr El-Shobki says the low turnout could be attributed to two reasons. First, the security forces pursuing the Brotherhood's leaders and charging them with ‘terrorism and inciting violence’.

The arrests have affected the group's ability to mobilise their supporters, El-Shobki says. Brotherhood members, known for following a strict hierarchy, suddenly find no one to direct them.

"The curfew and strict security measures did not affect the marches as much as the arrest of Brotherhood leaders," El-Shobki adds.

The second reason, according to El-Shobki, is the "complete absence of sympathy and support for the Brotherhood" after Mohamed Morsi's "failed one-year."

Indeed, local residents attacked pro-Morsi marches in a number of Egyptian governorates on Friday, leaving at least one Morsi supporter dead and 25 injured in the Nile Delta city of Tanta. Police used teargas to disperse the crowd.

Friday witnessed far fewer casualties than the same day last week when more than 100 were killed in clashes pitting Morsi supporters against security forces, two days after police dispersed pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo's Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Giza's Nahda Square.

Mohamed El-Kassas, a former Muslim Brotherhood youth and current member of the Egyptian Current Party, says police intimidation was behind Friday's reduced turnout.

"Live bullets were fired from the first minute at last week’s protests," El-Kassas states.

Brotherhood’s next step

For the Brotherhood to play a continued role in Egyptian politics, its younger members must take the lead, El-Shobki says. The group must also abandon its religious basis and instead adopt a political focus.

"[They] should stop acting as if they are above the law," El-Shobki asserts, referring to the group’s religious identity and preaching mission.

There is no law in the now-suspended 2012 constitution banning a political party from embracing a religious identity. However, the current 50-member committee, delegated by the interim president to draft amendments to the suspended constitution, may suggest an article banning political parties with a religious ideology.

The Brotherhood is unlikely to relinquish its religious identity any time soon, El-Shobki adds.

On the other hand, El-Kassas finds the possibility of younger members taking charge of the group unlikely. The arrest of their leaders will make the youth even more loyal towards them, El-Kassas predicts.

Violence on the cards?

Following Morsi’s ouster, militant attacks on police and army checkpoints have taken place on daily basis, raising fears that the Brotherhood might resort to violence.

Military spokesperson Ahmed Ali said on Friday that Egyptian security forces had killed 78 suspected militants, including 32 foreigners, in recent operations in the Sinai Peninsula.

El-Shobki states that “some” Brotherhood members "might resort to terrorism". Some have already been seen carrying weapons on the streets," he added.

"Terrorist attacks" in Cairo, if any, will be rare with no actual impact, he predicts.

Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, which backs Morsi and is a close ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, is infamous for using violence against the Mubarak regime in the 1980s and 1990s.

After Morsi’s overthrow and the bloody dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins, some analysts feared it would return to violence.

However, Aboud El-Zomor, a leading figure in the group, recently told Time Magazine that it would not return to violence.

El-Zomor spent 30 years in Egyptian prisons in connection with the 1981 assassination of former president Anwar Sadat.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... ivide.aspx


Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post